Jindal Says No To 2012?

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says he’s not interested in a 2012 run for president and will seek re-election in 2011.

At a news conference Wednesday with Bob McDonnell, Virginia’s 2009 Republican candidate for governor, Jindal was asked if he was interested in being president.

Jindal’s reply: “No.”

Now, if he’s serious about not running he’s VERY smart. Not only because he realizes that putting a 42 year old up as the GOP nominee would be a stretch, but also that the GOP field in 2012 will be incredibly crowded with the same faces and names we saw this year, with possibly the exception of one new superstar from Alaska.

Couple that with the idea that the economy is bound to get better in the next 4 years and you have a less than hospitable environment for Republicans.

So yeah, I think it’s better for him to wait for 2016. And for that matter, it would be smart for Palin to wait for 2016 too. But there’s nothing to suggest that she’s a skilled political operator in the first place, so my guess is she’ll jump the gun and run in 4 years.